Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-26
THE LAND LAW.
The Extraordinary PferOgGtiTss Given
TO G&e GmciaI-GreRt Anxiety
Throughout Northwest Texas.
and stop jhe Development OF the
Great Panhandle Country

Mon uI TaN.. JU.F D., l-~-.
TO tie Editorol tie reletie.
Eighteen days have elapsed since the
new land law went into effect, and the
anxiety as To It's workings which has
been felt in this country from the moment
Of its enactment deepens instead of dj-
miuishes. The people Of the Panhandle
are vitality Interested in the operation Of
OF this law, and the question they ere
GuxiOusIv asking now is "Wiu it be
permitted to divert IRON Texas the tide
oi western immigration which IS now
hJWiuG IN this di-actiCu"' The power
the remarkable p0WeT-to answer this
question according to his own choosing
is vested by his remarkable law in one
man: the ana commissioner gisLhe ! at
Never before ia the history Of Texas
LEGISLATION hzvg such extraordinary pre-
negatives been given % any Official save
In inc days Of reconstruction, end never
T. such grave Responsibilities, private
or public, CasJ upon any msG, ant such
m TED means and agencies placed @. MS
-is.Osal to execute them.
Where the Panhandle lands the sub
itCt OF private OWDcrshipNhiCh was ak
i5U- 10 ct the settlement OF the c0un-
try, its population would be gusdrugled
and its prEirie5 closely dotted with farms
within two years. !. is no longer an
open question as to whether or not this
country is adapted TO agriculture. Tle
illusion tina. IL is too dToutby 10 farm was
dispellcd by IS exemption from drOuth
when crops all over the south and west
we're pRrChing. To-day the crops Of the
Panhandle Will challenge comparison OF
averages with those Of any portion of
Texas No traveller has ever left the
Panhandle without giving testimony TO
It's superior aisp.ability to stock farming
ERO railroads are building through the
trountry, to meet al right angles,
and already the advance guard
Of the horde Of prospectOrs they will
bring, has arrived. The camp ETes Of
would be settlers glow in every valley,
adventurous capital is here seeking OPP
DJTtunities for investment, towns are
sNriDEiug up along the lines Of the rail
roads, and the greed With which town
properly Is sought and the prices il
brings show the tsitl OF capital in the
future If the country
Shall that future be blighted by the
cDerstions OF s bungiesOme land law?
Mr. Land Commissioner Hall mus
answer thst 8ll important question.
He can check settlement, stop the de-
velODment Of this country and dash aside
ell lis hopes and aspirations, or he can
extend L welcome and send forth an in
, gifstiou TO the INN grant thgl will meet
'with many thousands Of responses.
The first decision that Mr.. Hall Us re
CURED By the law 70 make will officially
determine whether or no. tna Panhandle
lands are Gin Immediate demand for pur-
poses ofaCtual settlement Sec a IL
/ wolld eem under the circumstances that
+ there could be bu. che opinion uI
such point 10 man VINO vii
devote two weeks TO practice
investigation Of the matter by travelling
. through the Panhandle, could COnscien
F.. tiouslv say that its lands were not IN de
maud Tor the purpose Of actual settle
ment II the query was submitted TO TIT
actual settlers of this country they wOul,
give an unanimous answer in the at-ma
tive Their names are on the records o
theIgnd GhicC-let the test be made.
the %anh8EdIe lands are not wanted FOL
settlement, then what lands in Texas RTt
/
stances are necessary TO produce
such 8 demand? Three-fOurths Of th.
immigration now coming to Texas pour!
into the Panhandle II Mr.. Hsl doubt
this let him apply to the railroads for il
formation. Surely be can reach but ont
coaclusiDn That all the Panhandle land!
3aEe ia demand for settlement. Tie So
other%lse would be to disregard fact
which are known 10 all men. Whel
home seekers a. the furtherest eXtTemitr
of the republican Maine and Vermont
Virginia and the Carolinss-sre shown.
such lively interest in the Panhandle, j
is incredible Of belief thst our own lant
commissioner could declare to tlt
world thst these lands are not wanted TO-
settlement.
If the commissioner should decide tni!
question in the affirmative, he must re.
serve the Paubsndle lands for the settle
and refuse to lease them. Just here de
sire TO call public attention to some Gu
riOus features of the new law-provisiOn.
which force the conviction that the enc
mics Of the actual settler rubbed d,
s0lons Of the Twentieth Legislature Ion.
and lovingly with most magnetic rabbi
foot The gntggOuisn Of the Twentieth
Legislature TO monopoly VS. manifested
teO strongly 70 be deemed insincere; We
a decade hence popular judg
ment will credit It with the
passage of land law more
thoroughly impregnsted with monopo'
.is.tc IDEAS thar any Of the measure